If you’ve always fancied yourself as a bit of a rock star but you’d rather stick pins in yours eyes than go on X factor you have probably thought about joining a band. Aah..the fame, fortune,groupies..But hang on a minute-you don’t play a instrument!

Well you could get round this by scouting round for a band that needs a vocalist, but last time you tried to charm the birds from the trees whilst in the shower they all flew off! Along with every other living creature within earshot. Now you may have a good voice, which with training could be a great one and if that’s the case then joining a Rock School will certainly be a fantastic idea, but if not then a few decisions need to be made.

Not a natural singer or frontperson? Then you probably fancy yourself as a guitarist, bass player, drummer, keyboard or brass player. So what are the relative merits of each? Whats required? How much do they cost etc?

Let have a look at each in turn.

Guitars are cheap, portable, easy to learn to a level to play with others and have great pose value (you must have noticed this)! And when you plug them in to a good amplifier (you’ll need one of these if you intend to play electric) and switch them up sound…well that’s down to you-let’s hope you’ve been practising and rehearsing. You’ll be up against a lot of competition as it seems everyone and their dog wants to play the guitar these days.

Bass guitars are somewhat different. They are still cheap and portable, definitely require a bass amplifier and don’t quite have the natural pose value of the 6-string. Actually you can be playing a bass line on a bass guitar within minutes, as they have only4 strings rather than a guitars six. Another plus for basses is that there is always a demand for good bass players, so you should never be without employment if you take it up.

If the drums are your bag then starting out can be relatively inexpensive. You can buy cheap beginners kits but don’t expect them to last. Then you have the hassle of transporting your drums to anywhere you want to play them which usually means driving. Learning the drums to a level where you can play in a band should not take too long as long as you have a sense of rhythm and have the facility to actually practise on the kit. Most drummers seem to be natural extroverts, so if this describes your personality then drums could well be the ideal instrument for you.

By contrast people who take up the piano/keyboards are more introverted types. The theory goes that they are self accompanists and don’t necessarily need any other instrument to perform with. Of course not all are and a Hammond organ is a great feature in any band, for instance. Easy to learn and portable, keyboards are very cheap these days and you can get started easily as you will not need an amplifier initially.

Finally we have brass players. If  you see yourself as a swinging solo sax player or a part of a funky horn section, brass instruments certainly have the pose factor! The ultimate in portability you can practise your horn anywhere. They probably aren’t as immediate as the other instruments mentioned as you need to develop an “embouchure” so that your lips can form the right shape and the correct reed or mouthpiece technique which produces the sound. Price of brass instruments varies depending on what type you want and its age. A new student model shouldn’t be too expensive though.

Of course, all this can be made much easier if you take some form of tuition. Joining a Rock school means that you get taught by qualified tutors, are placed in a band and given somewhere to rehearse that has a Public Address system, guitar amplifiers and a drum kit provided as well as encouragement in writing and recording your own compositions if you want. All this rounded off with a performance at a local venue, so start practising those moves!